Sunday, November 8, 2009

11-08-09 Artist Post

Doug Aitken

I simply love blog surfing because I find more amazing artists this way than any other. This week's artist post is on Doug Aitken's series Migration:365 Hotel Rooms.

Aitken is known for projecting contemporary video art across multi-screen environments urging the viewer to challenge his/her own perception. This particular 25 minute video loop was projected on the fronts and sides of museums on a large scale- so large that it took two projectors working together with a blender to produce one fluent projection. These projectors are so sophisticated that they are water sealed and have their own heating/air conditioning systems. The film was shot on 35mm film and remastered in HD.

The video features various North American animals interacting within human environments void of people. You see a beaver in a bathtub, a bull flipping furniture, a horse watching television, an owl perched on a bed, and more. He examines American's transient existence through our migratory behavior. More than citizens of any other industrialized nation, Americans 'migrate' more often whether moving into a new home or traveling for business. Aitken is also commenting on the rural/urban divide. Where do the two meet and can they coincide?

I have not seen Aitken's video- I cannot find it online. Some stills follow:






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